The Sears Lobo II, also sold as the Nikko Lobo II was a 1/14 scale radio controlled model distributed by Sears, Roebuck and Co. across the United States, and by Nikko in the rest of the world in 1987.
A successor to the original 1986 Sears Lobo, which itself was a rebrand of the 1985 Nikko Lobo, the Lobo II seems to have been far more successful and more widely sold based on the number of cars I see selling and sold (compared to the original Lobo which is difficult to get clean photos of), plus small indicators of longtime popularity such as stickers and T-Shirts being sold with the 'Lobo II' logo on them.
Features and Performance
"You can now have the power that hobbyists use in their radio controlled cars"
- Claim in the 1987 Sears Christmas Catalog
The Lobo II would upgrade from the originals 8 x AA batteries (9.6V) to a Hobby Grade 7.2V battery with Tamiya style connector, with an additional 9V battery onboard which was presumably used for the radio and electronics.
While technically the AAs provided more initial voltage, the much larger 7.2V would provide plenty more amps and a much higher capacity allowing the car to run harder for longer, using the same battery as genuine hobby grade Tamiyas and similar.
Sears would boast in their Christmas catalog that the Lobo II "goes 30% faster than Lobo I and 30% longer", though they did tame this down a little bit on the actual packaging to "25% more power than Lobo I".
Note: Despite the more premium build, there are reports of Turbo Hoppers running rings around Sears Lobos. As we don't have an official speed for this car yet, I've estimated it as slower than the Hopper due to these reports.
Scan from the excellent Muse Technical website
https://christmas.musetechnical.com/
Specifications:
- 1/14 Scale (larger than Turbo Panther, Turbo Hopper, etc.)
- Mabuchi RS-360 motor
- 7.2V Hobby-Grade 'DieHard' battery included plus onboard 9V battery for car electronics/radio.
- Dust Proof Rear Differential and Low/High Gearbox Selector
- Front and Rear Suspension
- Deluxe Pistol Grip Radio Control with Turbo
- Air-filled tires
- Reportedly had Active Steering / Power Steering unlike other Lobos.
- Available in Red, Blue, and Black
Sears seem to have sold all of these colors, unclear if Nikko had other variants.
The car would ship with Nikkos best controller, re-badged with Sears branding.
Unlike the larger 1/10 scale Super Lobo, the Lobo II did not feature a digital proportional control ability, and instead adopted a simpler less precise 'toy grade' steering and throttle capability, which would have been plenty sufficient for most buyers, knowing that those seeking more hobby-like performance would go for the larger, more expensive version.
Passive or Active Steering?
My own Sears Lobo II is on a slow boat from the United States to Australia, so I've not been able to confirm this myself, however according to this source the Lobo II has Active / Power Steering, meaning you can turn the front wheels whether the vehicle is stopped or moving.
Availability and Collectability
With the number of Lobo II which are selling and sold on a frequent basis, there's no doubt that it remains a popular vintage R/C car amongst collectors and hobbiests, as a more premium 'toy grade' car.
Prices remain quite reasonable, with a boxed car in good used condition going for around $150-200 USD at the time of writing, and unboxed loose vehicles anything from $50 - $150 USD though the condition and whether or not these work well varies. I cannot see any sign of a NIB (new in box) car, but expect that would be about double what a boxed used car would go for.
Overall this remains an interesting buy, and I will be keeping an eye out myself on both local and Japanese auctions to see whether I can add one to my own collection, ideally before the prices start to get ridiculous.
